TORONTO — Premier Dalton McGuinty won’t say whether he’ll force new contracts on Ontario’s public school teachers, but is promising that his government will have more to say Thursday about “the path forward” for new collective agreements that will rein in wages.

In an open letter to public elementary and high school teachers, the outgoing premier suggested that after nearly a year of negotiations, the cash-strapped Liberals have waited long enough for teachers to reach a deal with the province.

“Our preference is and has always been negotiated settlements,” McGuinty said in the letter.

“But after 10 months, the bargaining deadline has passed. Ontarians expect, rightly, that uncertainty in education will not continue indefinitely — and that our government will show a clear determination to balance the budget by 2017-18.”

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Education Minister Laurel Broten is expected to speak about the labour dispute Thursday, two days after the cut-off…